With the 2024/25 season nearly upon us we caught up with General Manager, Jay Marriott on what fans can expect from the Gloucester City Kings.
Jay, thanks for sitting down with us today, how has the summer been for the club?
It’s been a really busy time, maybe even more so than the season which is insane to say. Last season we stepped into high performance in a big way adding U18’s, CBL and University to our pathway alongside the men’s team. It was a time of exploration and outlining what our future looks like and now we have seen the levels it’s time to double down and make what we do the best it can be.
We have been told you will taking a bigger coaching role this season?
Last season I worked exclusively with the academy at CBL and U18’s level but this season I have decided to step into the men’s head coaching role and really lead from the front. We lost our coach from last season, Coach Bower, who did some great work last season. He will be sorely missed but I felt this was the time to see all our hard work at the youth level come to the forefront in a new look mens team that we hope can take the next step. I want my influence on every level this season and really push the vision I have for the club.
You have spoke highly of the staff you have built going into the season, can you tell us more about them?
I’m really excited for the staff we have put together. With Jake Hawksbee returning to the court, which is a huge boost to our playing squad I’m delighted to have Coach James Raddon come onboard as my Assistant Coach this season, he will also lead our U18’s program this season. Coach Adam Stacey gets to take the next step with our men’s development team as we head into Division One of the WEBBA league, a challenge he is ready and excited for. When time permits he will also join our NBL mens staff, his energy and approach is a real boost to the whole program. Coach Gabbie Atenciana will lead our skill development this season, a key addition to what we have done before as well as playing a key role in our University program, he is well respected in the county and a great member of our staff. Lastly Mark Hawksbee will continue as Team Manager which does him no justice at all, his drive and commitment was essential to us last season and will continue to push our standards around the team.
This weekend you start your pre-season schedule of with a game against USA Select, a travel team from America, what are your thoughts coming in to this game?
First of all I want to thank Coach Sean Kilmartin and his staff for returning to Gloucester again this season. We have known each other for over 20 years and I help every year with their summer camp out in Florida. You will get to see former collegiate athletes now looking for professional jobs so the level of player is always high. For us it’s a great chance to see our new look team, enforced with some experience and enthused with some of the best talent in Gloucestershire. It’s early in our preparation so my expectations is just to show our belief in the process and execute on everything we have managed to get done in a short amount of time.
You recently announced a return to the Oxstalls Sports Park Arena, what does that mean to you as a club?
It’s a huge step for us for sure, we were able to train there and play University fixtures but to get our mens gameday’s back there is a really special moment for the club. Our aim is to continue improving on the gameday experience and having an amazing venue like this gives us a great platform to do that.
Heading into the 2024/25 season what are your personal expectations?
As I said last season we got to see what we need to do at each level to be successful so this season I think we need to deal with some high expectations. Our U18’s really impressed last season and several of our stars broke through into the mens team. I want to create an environment that challenges them even more this season. Success is always going to be on the players we can develop and aid to the next level whatever that looks like but we also value winning and representing this county in any competitions we take part in.
Details of the 2024/25 season will be released soon and to see your Gloucester City Kings in action this weekend versus the USA Select you can book here NOW!
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